Dear Dr. Levister: Could I lose Weight by Eating Slower? H.R.

Dr. Ernest Levister Jr.

One way to help control calorie intake is to slow down, savor and enjoy your food more. Put the fork down between bites and take time to linger over a meal.

"Eating rates are hard to change so eat at a pace that maximizes your enjoyment of the food. If slowing down and savoring the flavors and textures of foods leaves you feeling more satisfied, go for it.

Here's a quick-eating test. Use a small vs. large spoon; take small bites, chew food 15-20 times, put the spoon down between bites.

The feeling of fullness takes time to register, so after you have eaten an amount of food that should be satisfying, you may want to wait 15 to 20 minutes before deciding if you're still hungry.

Twenty minutes seems like a very long time for a signal to reach the brain; but as it turns out, the signal is coming from the intestines, not from the stomach. It takes time for the food we eat to move from the stomach to the intestines, which could explain why it takes so long for the "I am full" alarm to sound.